More information : SK 700 416. Roman town of Castle Hill known as Margidunum, shown to be on route of Roman road: Fosse Way. (1)
The Roman town of Margidunum of the Antonine Itinerary (Iters 6 and 8), 5 acres in extent, built on or near an early Roman fort.Extensive excavations were carried out by F. Oswald at intervals between 1910-1936, and partial excavations by M.Todd from 1966-8.
Previously, Roman remains and finds had been noted by Stukeley in 1722 and Mr Miles of Bingham in 1884. Oswald and Todd divide the occupation into four periods.
Todd Oswald
1.cAD50-55 to cAD75 cAD48 to cAD61
2.cAD75 to cAD150 cAD61 to early 2nd Cent.
3.cAD150 to cAD250 Early 2nd Cent. to Late 4th Cent.
4.cAD250 to Early 5th Cent. Late 4th Cent. to Mid 5th. Cent.
Todd bases his chronology on new finds and a reappraisal of Oswald's finds. Oswald deduced destruction by fire in the Boudiccan revolt, but Todd makes no comment on this. Oswald's early fort (see plan 'A') is only postulated. Its polygonal shape is suspect, the street grid unlocated when contractors made a 25' wide cut across it, and the evidence of the excavated buildings is inconclusive (3). The limits of the early fort have not yet been established, but associated finds verify its existence (3). Defensive ditches revealed by Todd north of the fort (site 4 plan `B') may be
1st century in date. Excavations south of the town (plan `C') revealed indications of extensive 1st century occupation. Heavy slag deposits in the southern part of the town (see plan `A') (and probably outside the original fort (3) indicate iron smelting dating from the settlement's early days.
In the 2nd century ditches, pits and wells were filled with 'camp rubbish' and Oswald interprets this as a change from a military site to a posting station (2). Only slight traces of the town wall's foundations were found (plan `A') and the dating evidence is very slender. Todd's earlier date for the final period is based on a `meagre collection of sherds' and the absence of 4th century sherds in a ditch obviously filled prior to wall building. Cemeteries have been south south of the town (see plan D).
Only slight depressions on the ground now represent the site of Margidunum.Finds from the excavations are now in Nottingham University Museum. (2-3)
Although Oswald's polygonal fort is rejected, the enormous mass of high quality Claudio-Neronian pottery and a few metal objects with peculiarly military associations recovered by Oswald from a wide area (Belt attachment, harness fitting, pendant, barbed arrow-head, grid-iron), point unequivocally to the existence of a fort in the very near vicinity. Two ditches running on different alignments were discovered in 1967, immediately north of the town defences. Their early date probably indicates that they were linked to 1st century military works, whilst the larger ditch might be
interpreted as part of the defences of a fort. This is by no means conclusively proved however. (4-5)
The 1966-1968 excavations were undertaken prior to the construction of a large roundabout with a new link road to Bingham, and this now covers approximately a quarter of the site on the SW. The surviving parts of the perimeter ditch are on arable land and remain much as published, save that the S part of the E ditch has now gone. A broad ill-defined depression across a rough grass field probably marks the line of the west ditch.
Revised field document correct.
Name 'MARGIDVNVM' accepted for 4th. edition. R.B.Map. (6)
(Area centred SK 700 416). Probable Roman pottery kiln, indicated by wasters and kiln prop from excavations. Production of Trent Valley Ware. (7)
Town defences. (8)
As a roadside settlement, history of excavations. (9-9b)
Scheduled. (10) |